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Computer forecast rises, semiconductor forecast falls
Notebook computers are erasing any sign that PC sales will cool off this year.
IDC raised its forecast for 2008 worldwide PC shipments to 15.2 percent above 2007, now saying computer makers will ship around 310 million units. In March, the research firm estimated growth of 12.8 percent.
Notebook sales have been strong enough to buoy computer makers, despite the slowing U.S. economy, tepid sales of desktops and weak corporate spending, IDC said.
The companies also are getting a big boost from sales in emerging regions. Asia passed the U.S. as the world’s largest market for PCs late last year, IDC said.
IDC upped its forecast in part because it has started counting shipments of small, highly portable notebook PCs. Those increasingly popular models, often called “netbooks,” have developed enough to reach the firm’s criteria for PC classification.
Despite the continued strong PC growth, the Semiconductor Industry Association lowered its industry revenue estimate for the year. It said strong competition pushed down prices of memory chips, holding the sector’s revenue lower despite a strong increase in shipments.
The group now expects this year’s revenue to increase 4.3 percent, to $266.6 billion. It had forecast 7.7 percent growth in November.
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